Generally described, the field of construction project management and bidding has traditionally been characterized by complex business processes involving the exchange and maintenance of a large number of physical documents. A typical construction project bidding process begins with the costly discovery and investigation of new construction projects by third party “lead finders,” who sell leads and information on new construction projects to interested general contractors. Other projects may be advertised in various publications or through invitations to bid directed at known contractors. A contractor aware of a new project may typically access physical copies of project documents (e.g., blueprints, specifications, structural requirements, site surveys, etc.) at a planroom provided by a local construction association or third party organization. In other cases, a project owner may send costly physical copies of documents directly to interested contractors.
During the bid process, potential bidders (e.g., contractors) are typically provided with a specified period of time during which they may evaluate the project, determine quantities, and arrange for bids from sub-trades and suppliers. Bidders may be provided with a bid form by the project owner, allowing the bidder to specify determined prices and other required information. The bid form and any other required information is typically formally submitted in hardcopy to the project owner in a prescribed format. Depending upon the process specified the bid may also include amendments, bonds, or other documents that are submitted separately.
The sheer number of physical documents and process requirements involved in the development and bidding of a new construction project have the tendency to make construction project management a costly and byzantine affair. The project discovery and notification process is often haphazard and may leave out potentially interested contractors. Even where contractors have been notified, the physical distribution and storage of physical project documents may impose significant cost and inconvenience on both the project owners and interested bidders. Project owners are often forced to either maintain single copies of documents in a physical document planroom, or prepare and distribute multiple copies of blueprints and other project documents at great expense. Bidders may be forced to physically travel to a document planroom to view documents and prepare bids. During the bidding process itself, bids may be submitted with incomplete or insufficient information, and parties may disagree about bidding process requirements or closing times. The formal submission of hardcopy bid forms presents yet another cost and potential source of confusion and error for potential bidders.